Dutch, Swedish and Japanese beef now allowed in Taiwan

The barbecue season of Taiwan usually falls around the mid-autumn-festival (October 4 in 2017). Just two weeks before, Taiwan’s government has announced that cattle raised in Japan, The Netherlands and Japan is now allowed for import, ending a long-standing (and unnecessary long) ban. That’s right, the Wagyu beef at your last “Yakiniku” (grilled meat in Japanese) Restaurant in Taiwan was very likely from Australia and not from Kobe, Japan (let alone Europe). Kobe’s Wagyu beef is known for its perfect marbling and texture and a delicacy that could now be enjoyed in Taiwan.

Although Europe is among the largest beef exporters in the world, cattle raised in the Netherlands and Sweden only represent a small fraction of it.

Statistics for meat produced in these two countries (in thousand tonnes of carcass weight):

Country

Total

Calves and young cattle

Heifers

Cows

Bullocks

Bulls

EU-28

7799

1015

1179

2447

720

2450

Netherlands

416

238

3

147

0

27

Sweden

131

3

17

43

11

58

In 2016, livestock population of bovine animals was 4.29 million in The Netherlands and 1.44 million in Sweden (totally 89 million in EU-28).

Source: Eurostat

So it remains to be seen how much European beef we’ll see in Taiwan.
One could also wonder if it would be OK for those of us who travel through Amsterdam and Stockholm to bring canned of meat from those places (if they are on the authorized list).

Rules for import are still strict. Taiwan’s health authorities may conduct onsite inspections and rely on a list of approved exporters provided by the foreign authorities (MHLW of Japan, NVWA of The Netherlands, NFA of Sweden). The list is provided to the Taiwan government by the foreign trade offices in Taiwan.

Rules applying to Japan, Sweden and The Netherlands:
Only beef derived from cattle and raised in Sweden or from cattle born in a country deemed eligible by Taiwan to export beef and raised in Sweden for at least 100 days prior to slaughter in Sweden will be considered eligible to export to Taiwan.

Differences what can be imported from each country in terms of beef age:
Sweden & Japan: Only beef derived from cattle less than 30 months of age (Bos taurus and Bos indicus).
The Netherlands: Only beef derived from cattle less than 12 months of age (Bos taurus and Bos indicus).

Finally, the list (as of November 2017) of authorized custom codes for import provide an idea which meat is accepted (applies to all three countries):